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Plans to demolish The Glegg Arms in Heswall to expand the adjacent Premier Inn hotel have been resubmitted to Wirral Council, according to Birkenhead News.
The historic Chester Road pub, which served pints dating all the way back to the 1940s, closed in July 2024 after owner Whitbread decided to integrate several Beefeater restaurant sites into its Premier Inn branding.
An earlier application to demolish the building was withdrawn last year, as council planning officers did not support it on design grounds, sparking hope for the abandoned pub. However, discussions between Whitbread and the council have occurred to negotiate an appropriate design for a replacement building.
Planning documents submitted with the new application state that it would not be possible to convert the existing building into hotel rooms. The documents explain that the pub does not conform to Premier Inn standards, noting that the internal ceiling height on the ground floor is only 2 metres. But the hotel chain requires a minimum of 2.4 metres.
Instead, the proposals would tear down the existing restaurant and replace it with a new structure with more hotel rooms. The Premier Inn would then have 111 rooms instead of the previous number of 87, adding 24 to the mix.
According to the planning submission, the replacement building has been designed to mirror the former Glegg Arms and replicate its visual identity. Planning notes that the replacement wouldn't be joined to the existing hotel.
Wirral Council has not yet accepted the proposed plans.
